PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) card provides an easy interface to connect additional devices to a computer motherboard system and fast data transfer among them. Common PCI devices are sound card, graphic card, network card, modem, etc. PCI card utilizes standard PCI Bus specifications, which was initially developed by Intel and is now in charged by PCI-SIG association. There are many versions of PCI Bus standards such as PCI, PCI-X, and the latest PCI-Express.
A common approach for installing multiple PCI cards/Boards in a computer chassis involves attaching a mounting bracket to each PCI board, and then individually fastens each bracket to the chassis with a screw. Each screw passes through an aperture in the bracket and is secured in a threaded hole in the chassis to clamp the bracket to the chassis.
A conventional PCI card bracket consists of a main panel and two mounting tabs. The main panel usually has several cutouts for external (outside of the chassis) access to the card. On a typical network interface card (NIC), cutouts are made for display LEDs and RJ45 Ethernet connector(s). In high port-count NIC, the RJ45 connector can have 4 or more Ethernet connection ports. There are 2 mounting tabs on the bracket—one at each end. Each tab has a threaded hole for the mounting screw to attach the bracket to the printed circuit board (PCB).
A bracket is attached to a NIC by first sliding it toward the board until the LEDs and the network port connector(s) slip through their corresponding holes on the main panel of the bracket. In this position, the mounting tabs will lie on the top side of the board. Screws are then inserted into the threaded holes on the tabs and go through the mounting holes on the board. Finally, nuts are tightened on the other end of the screws to secure the bracket to the board. In lower cost design, the threaded holes on the tabs can also act as securing nuts for the screws.
Because the current approach for mounting a bracket to a PCI NIC utilizing normal screws, the screw heads occupy board space of the top side that could have been used by other components. This is especially true in the case of a 4-port PCI NIC in small low profile form factor (see FIG. 1) or 6-port in standard height form factor. To ease the illustration only small low profile form factor is shown below. In this case, the board width, by low profile PCI standard, is just wide enough to fit a 4-port RJ45, let alone the space for the mounting tabs, mounting holes in the PCB and bracket screws to keep the board mechanically stable.